CMOS image sensor and fabricating method thereof

ABSTRACT

A fabricating method of a CMOS image sensor includes the steps of: forming a transfer gate on a semiconductor substrate where a device isolation layer is formed; forming a first n-type ion implantation region for a photodiode beneath a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first n-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and having a first width and a first ion implantation depth; forming a second n-type ion implantation region aligned at one side of the transfer gate, the second n-type ion implantation region enclosing the first n-type ion implantation region and having a second width wider than the first width and a second ion implantation depth deeper than the first ion implantation depth and a second depth; forming a p-type ion implantation region between a surface of the semiconductor substrate and the first n-type ion implantation region, the p-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and partially overlapped with the first n-type ion implantation region; forming spacers on both sidewalls of the transfer gate; and forming a floating diffusion region at the other side of the transfer gate.

The present patent application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 11/123,298, filed May 6, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,402,479.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a CMOS image sensor; and, more particularly, to a CMOS image sensor and a fabricating method thereof, in which a second P⁰ ion implantation process is omitted in fabricating a photodiode, while forming a dual structure of an n-type ion implantation region for the photodiode, thereby preventing degradation of a device characteristic due to nonuniformity of the second P⁰ ion implantation and securing charge transport efficiency.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

An image sensor is an apparatus to convert an optical image into an electrical signal. Such an image sensor is largely classified into a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor and a charge coupled device (CCD).

In the case of the CCD, individual MOS capacitors are disposed very close to one another and charge carriers are stored in the capacitors and transferred. Meanwhile, in the case of the CMOS image sensor, a pixel array is constructed using a technology of fabricating CMOS integrated circuit and output data are detected in sequence through a switching operation.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a unit pixel of a conventional CMOS image sensor. The unit pixel includes one photodiode 100 and four MOS transistors 101, 103, 104 and 105. The photodiode 100 receives light to generate photoelectric charges. The transfer transistor 101 transfers the photoelectric charges accumulated in the photodiode 100 to a floating diffusion region 102. The reset transistor 103 sets a potential of the floating diffusion region 102 to a desired value and resets the floating diffusion region 102. The drive transistor 104 serves as a source follower buffer amplifier having a gate receiving a voltage of the floating diffusion region 102. The select transistor 105 performs an addressing function through a switching operation. A load transistor 106 is disposed outside of the unit pixel so as to read an output signal.

Among the fabricating processes of the CMOS image sensor, a process of forming the photodiode is the most important in the implementation of the optic characteristics. In order to enhance low luminance characteristic, a p-type ion implantation region is formed on an uppermost layer of the photodiode by performing a p-type ion implantation process two times.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views illustrating a fabricating process of a conventional CMOS image sensor.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a device isolation layer 12 is formed on a p-type semiconductor substrate 11 to define an active region and a field region. At this point, the p-type semiconductor substrate 11 can be provided with a stack structure of a high-concentration p-type substrate and a low-concentration p-type epitaxial layer.

Then, various gate electrodes including a gate electrode of the transfer transistor are patterned. Hereinafter, the gate electrode of the transfer transistor will be referred to as a transfer gate.

Next, an n-type ion implantation region (or a deep N region) 14 for the photodiode is formed beneath the semiconductor substrate 11 and is aligned at one side of the transfer gate 13. Thereafter, an ion implantation process is carried out to form a p-type ion implantation region (or a P⁰ region) for the photodiode.

That is, the process of forming the n-type ion implantation region (or the deep N region) 14 for the photodiode is carried out and sequentially the p-type ion implantation is carried out using the same mask, such that a first p-type ion implantation region 15 is formed on the n-type ion implantation region 14 for the photodiode.

Referring to FIG. 2B, spacers are formed on both sidewalls of the gate electrode. That is, after a spacer insulating layer is deposited to a predetermined thickness on the semiconductor substrate including the transfer gate, an entire-surface etching process is carried out to form the spacers on both sidewalls of the gate electrode.

After the process of forming the spacers, a thin oxide layer 17 remains on the surface of the photodiode. In such a state that the oxide layer remains, a blanket second p-type ion implantation process (second P⁰) is carried out without using a mask and thus a second p-type ion implantation region 18 is formed as shown in FIG. 2B.

Here, the second p-type ion implantation region 18 is formed on the n-type ion implantation region 14 and is aligned with the gate spacer 16 such that the second p-type ion implantation region 18 is in contact with the first p-type ion implantation region 15.

In case where the first and second p-type ion implantation regions 18 and 15 have the doping profile as shown in FIG. 2B, a fringing field helping the charge transport is generated. Consequently, it is advantageous to the charge transport efficiency.

However, before the second p-type ion implantation process, the thickness of the remaining oxide layer 17 is different depending on the chips and its variation is very great. Therefore, its uniform adjustment is difficult.

Because the thickness of the remaining oxide layer serving as the buffer layer in the ion implantation is not uniform, ion implantation depth of the second p-type ion implantation region is also not uniform. Therefore, direct influence on chip characteristics causes the problems in process stability and yield.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a CMOS image sensor and a fabricating method thereof, in which a second P⁰ ion implantation process is omitted in fabricating a photodiode, while forming a dual structure of an n-type ion implantation region for the photodiode, thereby preventing degradation of a device characteristic due to nonuniformity of the second P⁰ ion implantation and securing charge transport efficiency.

In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fabricating method of a CMOS image sensor, including the steps of: forming a transfer gate on a semiconductor substrate where a device isolation layer is formed; forming a first n-type ion implantation region for a photodiode beneath a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first n-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and having a first width and a first ion implantation depth; forming a second n-type ion implantation region aligned at one side of the transfer gate, the second n-type ion implantation region enclosing the first n-type ion implantation region and having a second width wider than the first width and a second ion implantation depth deeper than the first ion implantation depth and a second depth; forming a p-type ion implantation region between a surface of the semiconductor substrate and the first n-type ion implantation region, the p-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and partially overlapped with the first n-type ion implantation region; forming spacers on both sidewalls of the transfer gate; and forming a floating diffusion region at the other side of the transfer gate.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CMOS image sensor, including: a transfer gate formed on a semiconductor substrate where a device isolation layer; a first n-type ion implantation region for a photodiode, formed beneath a surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first n-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and having a first width and a first ion implantation depth; a second n-type ion implantation region aligned at one side of the transfer gate, the second n-type ion implantation region enclosing the first n-type ion implantation region and having a second width wider than the first width and a second ion implantation depth deeper than the first ion implantation depth and a second depth; a p-type ion implantation region formed between a surface of the semiconductor substrate and the first n-type ion implantation region, the p-type ion implantation region being aligned at one side of the transfer gate and partially overlapped with the first n-type ion implantation region; spacers formed on both sidewalls of the transfer gate; and a floating diffusion region formed at the other side of the transfer gate.

In accordance with the present invention, the second p-type ion implantation process (second P⁰ process) is omitted. Instead, a double n-type ion implantation region is formed to thereby enhance the charge transport efficiency and device characteristics such as a dark bad pixel without any degradation of device uniformity.

For this, the doping profile and dose of the n-type ion implantation region formed beneath the spacer of the transfer gate are tuned differently from other portions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and features of the instant invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a unit pixel of a conventional CMOS image sensor;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views illustrating a method for fabricating a conventional CMOS image sensor; and

FIGS. 3A to 3D are sectional views illustrating a method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 3A to 3D are sectional views illustrating a method for fabricating a CMOS image sensor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3A, a device isolation layer 22 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 21 to define an active region and a field region. A stack structure of a high-concentration semiconductor substrate and a low-concentration epitaxial layer can be used for the semiconductor substrate.

When the stack structure is used, a depth of a depletion layer of a photodiode formed on the epitaxial layer increases and thus a charge storage ability of the photodiode increases. Also, the high-concentration substrate can prevent a crosstalk occurring between adjacent unit pixels.

The device isolation layer 22 can be formed using a local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) technology. In addition, a shallow trench isolation (STI) using a trench can be applied.

Then, a gate insulating layer (not shown) and a gate conductive material 23 are sequentially formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a gate electrode of the transistor is patterned by a patterning process using an appropriate mask.

In FIG. 3A, only the gate electrode 23 of the transfer transistor contacting with the photodiode is shown and the remaining transistors (reset transistor or drive transistor) of the unit pixel are not shown. Hereinafter, the gate electrode 23 of the transfer transistor will be referred to as a transfer gate.

After forming the transfer gate, a first n-type ion implantation region 24 for the photodiode is formed at one side of the transfer gate.

It is preferable that a width of the first n-type ion implantation region 24 for the photodiode is about 0.5 μm and a length thereof is identical to that of the transfer gate.

Also, the first n-type ion implantation process is carried out under a condition that its dose and ion implantation energy are reduced much more than those of the second n-type ion implantation process.

That is, a dose in the first n-type ion implantation process for the photodiode is smaller than a dose in the second n-type ion implantation process by about 0.2×10¹², and the first n-type ion implantation process uses an ion implantation energy of about 60 KeV. Further, the ion-implanted depth of the first n-type ion implantation region 24 is lower than the conventional n-type ion implantation region.

A mask used to form the first n-type ion implantation region 24 is shown in FIG. 3A. The mask is aligned with the square photodiode, the transfer gate and the transfer gate, and its width is about 0.5 μm.

An exposed length of the mask is substantially identical to the length of the transfer transistor. In this embodiment, because the mask of FIG. 3A is used, the length of the first n-type ion implantation region 24 is identical to the length of the transfer gate. However, the mask can also be longer than the transfer gate.

Referring to FIG. 3B, after the formation of the first n-type ion implementation region 24, a second n-type ion implantation region 25 is formed.

That is, a second n-type ion implantation region is formed deeply beneath the substrate and is aligned at one edge of the transfer gate 23 by using a mask (not shown).

The ion implantation process of forming the second n-type ion implantation region 25 is a process that is normally used in the prior art. Consequently, the ion implantation regions 24 and 25 can be obtained as shown in FIG. 3B.

Then, a p-type ion implantation process using the same mask is carried out. That is, a p-type ion implantation region 26 partially overlapped with the first n-type ion implantation region 24 is formed on the second n-type ion implantation region 25.

Referring to FIG. 3D, spacers 27 are formed on both sidewalls of the transfer gate and a floating diffusion region 28 is formed on the other side of the transfer gate.

Potential distributions of the photodiode region, the transfer gate and the floating diffusion region when the transfer gate is turned on are shown in FIG. 3D.

In accordance with the present invention, even when the second P⁰ ion implantation process is omitted, a fringing field advantageous to the charge transport can be obtained because of the double n-type ion implantation regions of the photodiode.

Further, the second P⁰ ion implantation process that must be carried out in a state that the non-uniform oxide layer remains is omitted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent inconstant device characteristics, which have been caused by different thickness in the second P⁰ ion implantation at each chip.

As described above, the present invention can solve the problems of the process margin deficiency, the yield variation and the optical characteristic deviation, which are caused by the nonuniformity in the thickness of the oxide layer remaining after etching the spacers. Further, the charge transport efficiency can be secured, thereby contributing to the competitiveness and characteristic stability of the image sensor.

The present application contains subject matter related to Korean patent application No. 2004-32001, filed in the Korean Patent Office on May 6, 2004, the entire contents of which being incorporated herein by reference.

While the present invention has been described with respect to the particular embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. An image sensor, comprising: a transfer gate formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; a first n-type ion implantation region for a photodiode formed in the semiconductor substrate, aligned with one side of the transfer gate, and having a first width and a first ion implantation depth; a second n-type ion implantation region aligned at the one side of the transfer gate, wherein the second n-type ion implantation region is configured to enclose the first n-type ion implantation region, to have a second width that is wider than the first width, and to have a second ion implantation depth that is deeper than the first ion implantation depth; a p-type ion implantation region aligned at the one side of the transfer gate, wherein the p-type ion implantation region is configured to extend along the surface of the semiconductor substrate from the one side of the transfer gate, through the first n-type ion implantation region, and into the second n-type ion implantation region; spacers formed on sidewalls of the transfer gate; and a floating diffusion region formed at another side of the transfer gate.
 2. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first width is approximately 0.5 μm.
 3. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first n-type ion implantation region has a length substantially the same as that of the transfer gate.
 4. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the first n-type ion implantation region has a smaller dose of n-type implanted ions than the second n-type ion implantation region.
 5. The image sensor of claim 1, wherein the spacer associated with the one side of the transfer gate is configured to extend over a portion of the first n-type ion implantation region along the surface of the semiconductor substrate through which the p-type ion implantation region extends.
 6. An image sensor, comprising: a photodiode formed in a semiconductor substrate; a floating diffusion region formed in the semiconductor substrate; and a transfer gate formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate between the photodiode and the floating diffusion region; wherein the photodiode includes: a first n-type ion implantation region; a second n-type ion implantation region configured to enclose the first n-type ion implantation region; and a p-type ion implantation region configured to extend along the surface of the semiconductor substrate from one side of the transfer gate, through the first n-type ion implantation region, and into the second n-type ion implantation region.
 7. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the first n-type ion implantation region has a smaller dose of n-type implanted ions than the second n-type ion implantation region.
 8. The image sensor of claim 6, further comprising spacers formed on sidewalls of the transfer gate.
 9. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein an ion implantation depth of the second n-type ion implantation region is deeper than an ion implantation depth of the first n-type ion implantation region.
 10. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein the ion implantation depth of the first n-type ion implantation region is deeper than an ion implantation depth of the p-type ion implantation region.
 11. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein a width of the second n-type ion implantation region is greater than a width of the first n-type ion implantation region.
 12. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein a width of the p-type ion implantation region is substantially the same as a width of the second n-type ion implantation region.
 13. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein a length of the p-type ion implantation region, a length of the first n-type ion implantation region, and a length of the second n-type ion implantation region are substantially the same as a length of the transfer gate.
 14. The image sensor of claim 6, wherein: the semiconductor substrate comprises a high-concentration semiconductor substrate and a low-concentration epitaxial layer; and the photodiode is formed in the low-concentration epitaxial layer.
 15. An image sensor, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a first ion implantation region formed in the semiconductor substrate and having a first conductivity type; a second ion implantation region formed to enclose the first ion implantation region and having the first conductivity type; a third ion implantation region having a second conductivity type; a floating diffusion region formed in the semiconductor substrate; and a transfer gate formed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate between the first ion implantation region and the floating diffusion region; wherein the third ion implantation region is configured to extend along the surface of the semiconductor substrate from one side of the transfer gate, through the first ion implantation region, and into the second ion implantation region.
 16. The image sensor of claim 15, further comprising spacers formed on sidewalls of the transfer gate, wherein: a first spacer extends over at least a portion of the first implantation region along the surface of the semiconductor substrate through which the third ion implantation region extends; and the floating diffusion region is aligned with a second spacer formed on the transfer gate.
 17. The image sensor of claim 15, wherein an ion implantation depth of the second ion implantation region is deeper than an ion implantation depth of the first ion implantation region.
 18. The image sensor of claim 17, wherein the ion implantation depth of the first ion implantation region is deeper than an ion implantation depth of the third ion implantation region.
 19. The image sensor of claim 18, wherein a width of the second ion implantation region is greater than a width of the first ion implantation region.
 20. The image sensor of claim 19, wherein a width of the third ion implantation region is substantially the same as the width of the second ion implantation region.
 21. The image sensor of claim 20, wherein a length of the first ion implantation region, a length of the second ion implantation region, and a length of the third ion implantation region are substantially the same as a length of the transfer gate.
 22. The image sensor of claim 15, wherein: the first conductivity type is an n-type; and the second conductivity type is a p-type.
 23. The image sensor of claim 22, wherein the first ion implantation region has a smaller dose of n-type implanted ions than the second ion implantation region. 